2xRAS VDI

[techie08]

We are looking at replacing our aging admin desktops with thin clients and implementing a VDI infrastructure. Im currently looking at 2xRAS and Horizon 6 from vmware.

 

Does anyone here use 2x ras for thin clients? If so, how good is it?

 

Thanks

Edited January 25, 2015 by techie08

[PotNoodleTech]

We are looking at replacing our aging admin desktops with thin clients and implementing a VDI infrastructure. Im currently looking at 2xRAS and Horizon 6 from vmware.

 

Why? As in, what do you wish to achieve?

[techie08]

A few things really, firstly so that teachers can BYOD and use some school based apps, and to deploy thin clients in the admin areas to try and save money on purchasing Fat clients, to to provide decent remote access.

[PotNoodleTech]

Ok - good reasons.

 

I would say - you need to cost it up carefully. Generally, VDI works out more expensive to purchase outright than fat clients, particularly for a small number of users/clients as you have to spec out a new server infrastructure and all the licencing from VMware.

[Achandler]

I wouldn't move to thin clients to save money, it never quite stacks up that way.

[andydis]

I wouldn't move to thin clients to save money, it never quite stacks up that way.

 

I would disagree with the above if you are looking to keep thin clients for longevity (5+ years)

[Achandler]

We have had thin clients here for over 9 years, so long thin clients need replacing. Initially cost of the servers for backend and the thin clients is similar to fat client prices.

 

Yearly licensing costs for the thin client software isn't cheap, then the additional MS licensing for VDA access.

 

Come into year 7-8 and you need to upgrade backend servers and look at upgrading older thin clients as well, another cost.

 

Honestly over a 10-15 year period, I would say the costs are probably identical. The advantage of a thin client setup is meant to be all in support time, but in schools with every changing demands, this becomes negligble.

 

The real advantage is it can be sued to provide good external access as well.

[techie08]

Do any of you guys use 2x RAS? its an alternative (and Cheaper solution) to Vmware and citrix. Im curious to know if its any good.

[Achandler]

We use Citrix, but I have used RAS to in the past, Citrix is better. Both are perfectly adequate though.

 

Depending on how you setup your servers, personal VDIs or a Pool of VDIs would be important though for admin users. Things like SIMS updates, or FMS updates would need to hit all VDIs if it was a pool.

[andydis]

Citrix Here too

ive heard nothing but good things about X2 , you could always download the demo and setup a lab for testing.

[PotNoodleTech]

I would disagree with the above if you are looking to keep thin clients for longevity (5+ years)

 

I would agree with Achandler's post.

 

By the time your thin clients are 5+ years old you'll probably need to buy new server back end and possibly new thin clients too (e.g if your old thin client doesn't support Windows 2012 or above).

 

When you add up the costs of constantly refreshing the server back end and licences, you end up spending equal, or more money than you would have if you had bought fat clients, AND getting less flexibility due to always being constrained by thin client and server (photoshop on 60 clients all of a sudden, sorry can't do that).

 

The only guaranteed and tangible benefit that I can see is if you are going down the external access to desktop route, and even then you could probably achieve a similar service just using standard Windows Thin clients without Citrix/VMware licencing etc).

[andydis]

IMO

it would need to include how many thin clients you are having to see if it is worthwhile, also how much the thin clients are etc

 

There shoould be a fomula , could look at like this:-

 

(Number of thin clients x costs of thin clients ) + (annual VDI licenses cost) divided by lifecycle + support costs

 

VS

 

number of full fat pc's x costs of PC divided by lifecycle + Licenses + Support costs

 

not an easy one to calculate and would be different per site.